Cure Tinnitus with a Patch? Unlikely

There are many effective medical treatments available as a patch. Birth control. Pain relief. Stop smoking aids. All these patches work by slowly releasing medication into the body. However, a new technology proposed to treat tinnitus uses a completely different patch technology to try to treat tinnitus.

Called Antinitus, the patch claims to create some strange form of light that reorganizes the water in the ear to correct tinnitus. This odd technology isn’t approved for sale in the US, and, unless it proves its effectiveness better, it’s unlikely that it ever will be.

It Stops Tinnitus How?

Antinitus has some things to recommend it. It’s a simple technology to use. Just place the self-adhesive patch behind your ear, then, supposedly, it focuses ambient light so it affects the water and nerves in the ear.

Perhaps it’s best to stop trying to explain it and let you read how they describe their device: “The patch contains a unique raster/lens creating an organized signal, which is anticipated to, directly or indirectly; modulate nerve functions in the auditory system to provide relief from the inconvenience of tinnitus.” They further elaborate on this description, saying the patch “transforms ordinary light, effecting [sic] the property of water in liquid and gaseous form into a coherent organized state with natural fractal order.” The page then shows an MRI with a supposed inner ear abnormality.

Fractalized water has been advertised as a way to improve the yield of hydroponic crops and even improve your bathing experience, but the apparatus used in those cases makes it hard to believe that the Antinitus can fractalize water with just a patch and some light.

But Does It Work?

Of course, proof is always the bottom line. There are many medical technologies that we don’t quite understand, but have proven their effectiveness enough to be useful. So let’s look at some of the clinical evidence the company provides.

So far, it seems, the research consists of two studies, one with just 10 people, and another with 100 people. In the study with just 10 people, only about half of people experienced improvement of their tinnitus at the end of treatment. But four weeks later, 9/10 reported a reduction in tinnitus. We don’t know why the population saw its results improve dramatically so long after treatment stopped.

However, the larger study again showed that just half of people saw their tinnitus improve at the end of treatment, and an unreported number saw their tinnitus actually increase! The company says significantly more people saw their tinnitus decrease than increase, but it also notes that people didn’t find it easier to fall asleep, nor did they report their quality of life improved.

We also have to note that these were not placebo-controlled studies, so we can’t rule out the possibility that the tinnitus improvement was due to the placebo effect or that tinnitus would have resolved anyway. At best, the research page concludes that Antinitus “is a low risk product.”

An Effective Tinnitus Treatment

There are many ineffective treatments for tinnitus, but if you are looking for a treatment that’s been proven to relieve tinnitus, try TMJ treatment. It isn’t effective for everyone, but for people whose tinnitus is related to TMJ, it can give great results.

To learn more about TMJ treatment for tinnitus in Denver, please call (303) 691-0267 for an appointment with a TMJ dentist at the TMJ Therapy & Sleep Center of Colorado.